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Tuesday, June 09, 2020
Sunday, June 07, 2020
COVID-19 Quarantine: Days 76-80
Day 76: 5-28-20 (Thursday)
Today was a pretty good day. Tyler went into a few stores for the first time in almost 80 days!! We went to Lowe's (we were looking at flooring so he needed to be there) and then to Albertson's. He wore a mask and gloves and didn't touch anything. I did all of the shopping and he spent most of his time dodging people! He thought it was definitely weird...people in masks, plexiglass protective screens, and one-way aisles. The shelves are all stocked with everything again...including toilet paper. He completely missed out on seeing all of the empty shelves. We have been doing grocery delivery, grocery pick up, Amazon, and sending Kam into the stores for the last couple of weeks so the fully stocked shelves were a delight for me to see too! I was also happy to see more people in masks again now that we have moved into phase 2 and businesses are having to comply to stay open.
I got more plants and flowers at Lowe's. Planting things, taking care of my yard, and tending my flowers brings me more peace and relaxation than anything else. Flowers are getting me through!!
Kam's girlfriend, Abbey, got her wisdom teeth out this morning. Our friend Dave was her oral surgeon. Kameron was waiting when she got home and took good care of her. LOL. It's fun to see his nurturing side come out.
I had a Primary treat delivery for a family in our ward. Ailey and Bryn had fun delivering it with me. I know I say this all the time but I really miss all my little Primary kids. Trying to do something weekly for a family or two in our ward has been fun.
Minneapolis is rioting and burning. Wow. Who could have imagined that? So much for Kam's *safe* mission.
Day 77: 5-29-20 (Friday)
Today was weirdly SUPER HOT. It was in the 90s. That is very rare for us at this time of year. Tyler worked a half day and then we drove to Sandpoint to pick up items that Jordin was storing for me. We had another good visit with Jordin and Ramon. I even finally got to get a HUGE hug from my nephew.
On our way home we stopped at one of our new favorite BBQ places, Famous Willies, in Post Falls. Having lived in Kansas City and in Texas I am ALWAYS on the hunt for good BBQ. Famous Willies has amazing brisket...AMAZING!!! The best I've had since Kansas City or Kirk's house. Their ribs are divine too. I don't like their sauce or their sides though. I knew we were going to stop on our way home so I packed our own sauce from home in a cooler. LOL. This time all we wanted was straight brisket. We got it to go and and ate it at the park by the river. So fun! We also stopped at Lowe's again and bought two new benches for our deck. Yay date night! After that we went home grabbed Ailey, Bryn, and Beverly and headed to the park for a night walk. Even after dark it was still hot.
Riots continue around the US today.
Day 78: 5-30-20 (Saturday)
This morning started off with an exciting visit from the high school dance team captains! They came to tell Ailey that she had made the dance team again. Yay! Year 3! This year it was so crazy with quarantine and tryouts via video. It was good for Ailey to see some of her teammates even if it hurt my heart to hear one of her teammates say, "I'm sorry that I can't hug you." Ailey's not the only one with a family member with a compromised immune system or health issues. :(
After that we headed to the lake to spend the day. It was another hot 90 degree day. It was a little hazier that yesterday but then sun came out for the rest of the day...enough to burn us all...despite copious amounts of sunscreen. The chilly lake water felt good in the muggy hot temps.
I did my first paddleboarding of the season! I love it so much! Tyler and I took off and went around the lower end of the lake. It felt great to be back on my board and out on the water. The lake wasn't very busy and we had a fantastic time!
We had a dock picnic... which my kids love...and just played on the water all day!
We ended up leaving earlier than we planned because we kept getting all of these notifications about a crazy "storm of the century" that was supposed to hit that night around 6pm.
All night we kept hearing on the news that the wind would be around 70 mph and then we heard that it could get up to 80 mph. (Our terrible windstorm that knocked out power for 9 days had winds around 70 mph.) Then we heard that there was the chance of a tornado...and then we heard two tornadoes. The news was telling everyone to take shelter immediately in an interior first floor room. Toto, are we in Kansas? It was bizarre and the predictions kept getting worse as the night progressed.
While waiting for the storm to hit we also participated in our ward's virtual talent show on Zoom. Ailey and Bryn submitted a Tik Tok dance video a few days before. Did I say 1,000 times "Make sure the song is appropriate?" YES! When it was being submitted did I ask 1,000 times "Are you sure there aren't any inappropriate words or anything else inappropriate in the video? YES! Did I watch it before it was submitted? NO. Was I unpleasantly surprised...OH YES! In between a darling 6 year old singing and a family performing together...the Johnson girls TIK TOK danced and gyrated around in unison to a song about getting drunk. AWESOME. There is always that one family...and... apparently that one family is us. The church might want us to turn in our membership after quarantine. Yikes.
And while waiting/hoping that the catastrophic storm of the century would take us out (and our humiliation)...it turned out to be a dud of a storm. Nothing...some rain, a little wind, and some thunder. And...I still had to participate in ward council the next morning.
Day 79: 5-31-20 (Sunday)
Yep, ward council on Zoom at 9 am. Ward council where the bishop asked me how I thought our ward activity went (I am on the activities committee) and I had to reply "Great! I thought we had a good turn out!" while my face literally burned bright red! Needless to say I was THRILLED when ward council was over.
This morning was Kameron's *actual* last day of work. Finally. His work did nothing to replace him and just kept him coming in on the weekends. Today was THE END. Now he can focus on getting ready to leave on his mission.
We had home church after Kam got home in the afternoon. The topic was very timely. It perfectly coincided with what is going on in our country right now...racism, protests, riots, looting, businesses and properties being vandalized and burned. There is chaos in all the major cities...including Spokane. It was good to talk in depth as a family about the issues that are affecting people we love and cities we love.
@ohhappydani is a great account to follow on Instagram.
Day 80: 6-1-20 (Monday)
Today is the first day of June and the 80th day of quarantine! When this all started in March I thought it would be two weeks. Wow. I did not anticipate 80 plus days. Kameron leaves for his mission in exactly one month.
Mondays are one of my favorite days. They are always productive even in quarantine. They seem to get progressively less productive as the week goes by but on Mondays we get stuff done and it feels good!
Ailey's Dance Team coaches dropped off her awards and her letter for the year. Tonight they had their virtual awards banquet via Zoom.
Tyler decided that the kids weren't doing enough reading so he (and I) created a mandatory 30 minute family reading time after dinner. Then everyone is to meet back up and discuss what we are reading. Tonight was our first night and it went well. There has been far to much screen time around here. Myself included. Let's see if we can keep this up!
Thursday, June 04, 2020
COVID-19 Quarantine: Days 71-75
Day 71: 5-23-20 (Saturday)
It was so great to get up this morning and have Kirk and Meki here. I love them so much! It was so nice to sit around the table in the morning and talk and be supported. But today was also an exhausting day on SO MANY levels. First, it was a complete work day. We were dividing up more of my mom's belongings. It is such a thankless job. Meki and I were sorting and making groupings of items. We had Ailey and Kaiya draw names for things. We were having to send videos of the drawings to my sisters and then they requested live Facetime drawings. They didn't agree with the groupings or the items. It was ridiculous. Come what may... the lake house needs to be emptied and my mom's things need to be divided up. There was so much drama and pettiness. There is no compromise on anything...even on the small trivial things. Some people argue just to argue and it slows down getting things done.
Kirk and Tyler drove to Spokane so that Kirk could pick up a UHAUL trailer to take the things that he inherited back to Utah with him. We also had the tree service out to stump grind 5 large tree stumps. A ton of yard work got done. Kirk and Tyler also did several painting projects in the house that needed to be done. We worked all day long with family drama the ENTIRE time. There is such a lack of appreciation for our time and effort to get work done.
Tyler and Kirk cutting up the leftover wood into firewood.
Reilly and Hunter came over to help that afternoon and by the evening we were all absolutely exhausted. We ordered pizza and sat talking in the living room until we all fell asleep. I am grateful for thoughtful conversations with people I love and respect.
Day 72: 5-24-20 (Sunday)
We had an early start to our day. Reilly and Hunter were out at the lake by 8 am. Most of us headed to Sandpoint to my mom's house there to clear out her shop. Jordin and Ramon are renting the house and needed some help. It was a big job. We are hoping to get this house on the market by next week. Tyler and Bryn (and Beverly) drove back to Spokane to pick up our cargo trailer to load up the things that I inherited.
We all wore masks and gloves to be extra careful.
My mom's giant cargo trailer was completely filled with junk to take to the dump. There was also a huge load for goodwill and there will be several more dump loads needed in the future. We worked hard and got the majority of it done.
We had a good visit with Jordin and Ramon. I am glad that things are better with them. It was good for me and Kirk to be able to talk to Jordin face-to-face about a lot of things. I feel like our relationship with her is starting to heal. So that is good.
Tyler and Bryn met us back at the lake and then Tyler, Kirk, and Hunter all headed to the dump to unload the trailer. Then it was back to the lake to load both Kirk's UHAUL and our trailer. It is very surreal to move my mom's furnishings out of her house.
It was another long and exhausting work day with intermittent drama with my other two sisters. They finally stopped texting and we were able to enjoy our night. Meki and I made my mom's Spinach Pesto Pasta with chicken. Kirk bought all the stuff for green punch so we made that too.
Kirk and Bryn decided to be the first ones to jump in the lake this season. I barely took any pictures this entire weekend. There just wasn't any down time. We had such high hopes that we would finally get to have a family game night but it just didn't happen. We ate chips and queso and watched a bunch of family videos instead. We laughed and cried. They are a treasure and bittersweet. I miss my mom so much. It was a gift to see her face, hear her voice, and hear her laugh again. My advice...take family videos!! A lot of them!! I need to be much better about this. I will occasionally take Instastories which my family constantly complains about... but that is about it. My kids all said that we need to take more family videos. So true.
Did we have any weird happenings or ghostly incidences at the lake house this time? Of course we did! Tonight I ran upstairs to grab something from my mom's bedroom. I went past the guest bedroom that we call the white room. As I was going past I saw Bryn sitting on the end of the bed with her head bent down looking at her phone. I got what I needed from my mom's room and walked back to the open door of the white room and jumped in front of it to scare Bryn. But to my surprise the room was totally empty. I had walked past it just seconds before and saw her there clearly enough that I planned to scare her. Well...the joke was on me. That was unnerving!! There is no way that Bryn could have left that room, walked down the long hall, and down the stairs without me seeing her. Later that night...maybe two hours after that happened... Ailey and Kaiya were talking about being freaked out to go upstairs. I told them that I had had a weird experience up there tonight. Before I even told them what had happened Kaiya's face got totally white and her eyes got huge and her hands started shaking. I told them what happened and Ailey said, "Kaiya just told me that she went upstairs to Grandma's room (that is the room Ailey and Kaiya were sleeping in) and saw a girl with long hair sitting on the end of the bed in the white room. She was looking down at her hands and it looked like she was crying. She thought it was Bryn and went in to talk to her and no one was there." Bryn had been downstairs the entire night playing with Kirin. Quite the odd coincidence huh? A long haired girl sitting on the end of the bed with her head bent down (I thought she was looking at a phone and Kaiya thought she was crying) seen by both of us about two hours apart. SUPER WEIRD. Another odd ghostly happening at the lake house. Add it to the list.
In other news...with WA moving into phase 2 our Stake President said that the sacrament can now be taken to member's homes that don't have a priesthood holder. That is great news for so many families.
Day 73: 5-25-20 (Monday)
We spent the morning with Kirk and Meki and kids. We enjoyed and soaked up every minute. We hated to see them go! The day was rainy and dreary. We spent most of the day at the lake. We deep cleaned the lake house... we may have a realtor walk through this upcoming week...so we wanted it extra sparkling clean. We ordered Chinese takeout as an early dinner and then loaded up and headed home. Kirk and Meki made it back to Utah safe and sound. We chatted on the phone with them, on and off, on their way home. Man we miss them!
Day 74: 5-26-20 (Tuesday)
The holiday weekend is definitely over and we are back to the daily grind...work, school, organizing, Sisters Creed business, and estate stuff. Tyler and Kameron took our trailer load of inherited items to the storage unit and unloaded it. Goodwill in WA finally opened back up and was accepting donations. Thank goodness! Kameron took a giant load of bags and boxes of things that I have been wanting to get rid of for months.
That evening when Tyler was done with work we also had to drive back out to the lake to get the load of garbage from the weekend and take that to the dump which was closed on Memorial Day. With all the driving back and forth I missed a video conference church meeting for our ward's activities committee. I also missed book club on Zoom. I was super sad to miss book club! We read The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah.
Today more businesses have opened up. We are officially in phase 2. You must wear a mask and social distance. No crowds. More temples are opening up around the US. Still none in the Pacific Northwest. Malls are supposed to open up next week. It will feel weird going back into a mall.
Day 75: 5-27-20 (Wednesday)
Today we walked early. We had a lot going on. It was a major yard work day for everyone after work and school were over. The kids mowed and weed-wacked. I weeded and planted flowers. Tyler and I drove to the northside to drop off the boat battery at the shop where it is being serviced. Bryn had her last piano lesson until fall.
My AWESOME friend Valynn gave me the scoop on where/how/what to start buying for Kameron's mission clothing. We have got to get a move on that and nothing is open here yet...at least not places to buy suits and mission attire. I am feeling slightly panicked that Kam only has about a month at home before he leaves for his mission. We still have so much to prepare!
Sibling issues persisted today. Attorneys are definitely necessary at this point as is mediation but that seems pretty futile at this point. It's so annoying that I have to deal with so much unpleasantness every.single.day rather than having the time, energy, and mind space for MY OWN FAMILY. I would love for us to be able to enjoy one another and actually have some fun before Kameron leaves for two years. I look forward to turning over communication with two of my sisters to our attorney.
Monday, June 01, 2020
COVID-19 Quarantine: Days 66-70
Day 66: 5-18-20 (Monday)
Our sibling issues have now extended out to our larger family. My sisters involved my uncle in our family situation. I'm not sure what they thought he was going to do. He called both me and my brother. We both had good productive conversations with him. I don't think that was their goal. LOL. I spent most of the day organizing all of the documentation pertaining to my mom's estate. Good times. Today was the first day that I exercised in nearly a week. It was needed...mentally and physically. I really need the gym to open up again! Walking isn't doing it for me. I need to lift things and punch things. Ha ha! We heard that Spokane County may qualify to go to Phase 2 before Memorial Day!
Day 67: 5-19-20 (Tuesday)
Another wasted day...lots of big feelings. Anxiety and probably some depression. My hormones are out of whack. Perimenopause central.... skipped periods and hot flashes have been happening the last 2 months. Hot flashes SUCK!! Everything you have heard about them are true. They are AWFUL. So...yeah...A LOT going on mentally and physically today. On the positive side... I had a good therapeutic walk! The Church sent out information on what phasing back into church attendance would look like. Interesting. It is going to be quite a process.
Tonight with my angst high I watched Pretty in Pink. John Hughes movies are always a good choice. I went to see this movie on my very first date when I was 14. It still holds up. Then I watched a show about the history of Soap Operas. I used to LOVE soaps!! I watched them as a kid and on until I had Bryn. I used to watch Days of Our Lives (my ultimate favorite), General Hospital, and As the World Turns. By the time I had kids I just watched Days. It was fun to see the impact that they have had on television history and current TV. Both of these things were fun and relaxing to watch and put me in a much better mood.
Day 68: 5-20-20 (Wednesday)
We have had several days and nights of crazy rainstorms. I love it! Tyler and I had the BEST walk in the rain! It was a complete downpour. We had umbrellas and just enjoyed being out in it. We came home soaked and looking like drowned rats but we had a blast!
Kirk and I had a consult with a trust attorney and got some good legal advice concerning my mom's estate and my siblings claims. It was SUPER helpful!! We will be hiring him to represent us. Tyler and I drove out to the lake to see what supplies were needed for the weekend and to disinfect everything. I have the lake house for Memorial weekend. I am looking forward to a change of scene. The dock was repaired this week and anchored more securely. It looks good. The water is still super high. Tyler and I grabbed Panera for dinner. I love soup on a rainy day!!
Day 69: 5-21-20 (Thursday)
Today some SERIOUS PROGRESS was made with my mother's estate. Hallelujah! We had a realtor do a walk through of my Mom's house in Sandpoint. It went well. My sister, Jordin, made the decision not to purchase the house and now we can move forward with listing the house and getting it on the market. Hooray for PROGRESS. Today we were packing up and preparing to spend Memorial Day weekend out at the lake. Kirk, Meki, and kids are driving up to meet us!! Spokane is moving into phase 2, Utah is in phase 3, they've been seriously quarantined and so have we, so we felt okay about being together. Things have been so rough with my family lately that Kirk and I could both use some face to face support. I can't wait for them to get here!! We also told Reilly that it is time that she can be around the family too. Fingers crossed everyone stays healthy.
Day 70: 5-22-20 (Friday)
Today Spokane County got the okay to move into phase 2. Businesses can open up with strict social distancing. Restaurants can open up with 50% capacity. Hair and nail salons can open. I am anxious to see how it all goes. I hope that things keep gradually opening up and that life can gradually get more normal. Ailey had to send in her video tryout for dance team. So weird. She also had her last day of online Seminary for the year.
We are at the lake and Kirk, Meki, and kids are here! We got to the lake before they did and did a second round of disinfecting and deep cleaning. It was a little nerve-wracking. This is the first time that we have been around ANYONE... let alone hugged anyone. I cannot describe the joy that I felt when they arrived. To be with family...loving and supportive family...and to hug family...it was worth its weight in gold. (Meki and I are super like minded in our precautions which was helpful too.) It was SO GOOD to be with them. Have I mentioned that?! LOL. Reilly and Hunter came over AND came inside. Momentous. With our county moving into phase 2 it felt okay. Although I didn't let them (Reilly and Hunter) hug Tyler. I vacillate between feeling okay to feeling nervous. Not about Kirk and Meki but about Reilly. Her work puts her in contact with all kinds of people who neither take precautions nor social distance and it is super frustrating. But it felt incredible to be together as a family!! It was a WONDERFUL day!
These two cousins were so happy to be together again!
Thursday, May 28, 2020
COVID-19 Quarantine: Days 61-65
Day 61: 5-13-20 (Wednesday)
Today was another winner. Insert sarcasm. The BS with my siblings continued all day. I had to turn my phone off. It is ridiculous. I spent the entire day dealing with estate business. It is a NIGHTMARE despite my mother having literally EVERYTHING prepared and ready.
A bright point in my day was that I finally went to the nursery down the street and bought my first round of plants and flowers for my porch and deck. It was a heavenly respite from my shatty day. My phone was off and I planted flowers and enjoyed the beauty...and silence...all around me.
Chronic stress is really causing problems for me physically...migraines, stomach issues, body aches. I can't keep going on like this. Setting a boundary of not being available to my siblings all day/all night has been helpful. Go to therapy people!! Thank goodness for my brother. He is an oasis of sanity.
Tyler and I watched Schitte's Creek tonight to unwind and relax. It always puts me in a good mood! I love that show! Tyler tucked me into bed early and took care of things with the kids for the rest of the night. I kept my phone off which was a good thing because the texts continued to come in even after midnight. They need to give it a rest. I am looking forward to picking up the boat tomorrow!
Day 62: 5-14-20 (Thursday)
I'm glad I went to be early because I woke up to sibling texts at 6 am. Delightful.
Tyler and I drove to Sandpoint to pick up the boat. It has been stored at my mom's old house that my sister is currently renting from our trust. Jordin was at work. We had a great (and much needed) visit with my brother-in-law Ramon. It was so nice to see him and we talked for over 2 hours. It was really hard not to hug him...and these two:
Social distancing with my niece and nephew wasn't fun but Jordin is a nurse and comes in contact with all kinds of people and we have to be careful. It was good to see and visit with them! Maggie Mae (my Mom's dog) is doing well and was super happy to see us. We drove the boat directly to the boat repair place in Spokane to fix anything that needs fixing and to service it for the summer. I can't wait to use it!
Tyler installed our fancy bidet. It's quite the thing! Heated seat, remote control, so many settings we need a guide posted on the wall, LED lights, warm water, heated blow dryer... the kids were laughing their heads off using it. LOL. I think I'm a fan. I'll keep you posted.
Today I worked in the yard and worked on my business. I have so much inventorying to do! It was good to have a busy and productive day!
Day 63: 5-15-20 (Friday)
Today was a nothing day. A COMPLETE WASTE OF A DAY. All day was spent dealing with my mother's estate and my siblings. We will be going to mediation. It is ridiculous. I was so drained that neither Tyler nor I had any energy for a date night. I just climbed into bed early and went to sleep.
Day 64: 5-16-20 (Saturday)
After the complete crap day yesterday we really needed to do something fun! We decided to take Ailey, Bryn, and Beverly on a little day trip to Palouse Falls. (Kam was working.) Palouse Falls is really cool! It is about an hour and a half away. The last time we went Bryn was a baby in the backpack. The falls is at its most spectacular in spring. The approach to Palouse Falls State Park is crazy. You are driving in flat desert land and suddenly you stop and there is an overlook and a canyon down below!! It always surprises me how magnificent it is to see this 200 ft waterfall out in the middle of nowhere!
Just as we got to the turn off for the state park we saw a whole bunch of cars lined up and the police were blocking the entrance. It turned out that there was a car fire blocking the road to the park. The estimated delay was about an hour and a half. Rather than park and wait; we drove 45 minutes back to the nearest town and got lunch. Burgers, fries, onion rings, and shakes. WORTH IT. By the time we were done eating lunch and drove back to the park; the entrance was open and we were able to head into the park and check out the falls.
One of the joys of this day was that I had no reception. Ahhh...the sweet sound of silence. No phone calls, emails, or texts. We had such a fun day and it was such a nice respite! It felt good to leave our house and our town and to have just the slightest taste of normalcy again.
Day 65: 5-17-20 (Sunday)
Today was Home Church and boy was it needed. It felt so good to focus on what is truly important. It was great to read the scriptures, take the sacrament, sing hymns, teach a lesson, and share in a family devotional. My soul needed it so badly. We also had a CRAZY rain storm that was exciting and rather thrilling!
Kameron wasn't feeling great today. He had to call in to the doctor and do a video chat. It sounds like he may have gotten food poisoning. Poor kid. After our home church he just went to bed. He was pretty miserable.
The girls were quite excited about our Sunday dinner. It isn't a meal that I make very often. Spaghetti! They were thrilled! LOL. Anytime I cook Italian they are over the moon! Ailey made brownies for dessert.
I'm glad that I had a good day because by evening my night had taken a severe turn. One of my sisters crossed quite a line and caused significant damage to our relationship. Damage that you can't come back from without intensive therapy (on her part). I now consider us estranged. She is really toxic...she always has been... but losing my mom, COVID-19, and her own issues have brought out the absolute worst in her. BOUNDARIES! BOUNDARIES! BOUNDARIES!
Tuesday, May 19, 2020
COVID-19 Quarantine: Days 56-60
Day 56: 5-8-20 (Friday)
Today was super fun! I got to see so many people that I miss. I met up with my friend Stephanie today. We had some fun things to drop off for our Primary families. It felt so good to go over to a friend's house even with social distancing!! After that Ailey, Bryn, and I took our boxes of Primary drop offs and started making the rounds. This was so good for Bryn!! She got to see and visit with many of her friends. I did too! It was fun to chat and catch up. Plus I got to see so many of my sweet little primary kids that I miss! We were gone for several hours and it was wonderful and therapeutic for all of us! Plus I love it when my kids are given opportunities to serve. It was a great day with the girls and friends and families that we love!
It was also date night!! We really had no plans and no real motivation to do much except not cook and get out of the house! We ended up doing a progressive dinner. We haven't had cheeseburgers in a super long time so we went to our local copycat In-n-Out...that really gives Delish's too much credit...it is not nearly as good as In-n-Out or that much like it but we do like their cheeseburgers. We don't like their fries so we went to another place for those and yet another place for dessert. Then we had a little picnic and chowed down! LOL. Today was a pretty great day!
Day 57: 5-9-20 (Saturday)
Day 58: 5-10-20 (Sunday: Mother's Day)
Mother's Day is truly my very favorite holiday. I love it so much! I love Christmas...in particular the build up to Christmas...but Mother's Day is a delight! Usually. :) It definitely was this year!
It all started around 9 am with breakfast in bed. One of my very favorite things is going to church on Mother's Day with the whole family. Sadly this didn't happen this year but the rest of the day was pretty grand!
My perfect breakfast! Redbull and a slice of marzipan coated Swedish Princess cake! Yum. I am not a breakfast person but when I do eat breakfast I like a sweet breakfast. I loved the lilacs and flowers from the yard that the girls picked!
I had the sweetest cards, gifts, and flowers from Ailey, Bryn, and Tyler. Ailey and Bryn made me the cutest Mother's Day video too. They are becoming great videographers!! Kam had given me his gift of the hanging basket early.
I also received this card from Beverly! Ha ha!
The kids decorated:
Reilly and Hunter had to divide their time today between both mothers. They did a good job. They came over early around 10:30 am for a porch visit and brought sweet flowers, a card, and gifts for me. They are so thoughtful! Then they headed over to Hunter's parents house.
The trail is absolutely gorgeous as you ride along the water. There were interesting sights all a long the way. I can't wait to ride it again.
It was such a fun day!
We exhausted these two who slept the entire way home. Ha ha!
When we got home from our bike ride Kameron was done with work. He and Tyler went to pick up the food from the restaurant that was catering my Mother's Day dinner...Chicken Osaka and Shanghi Beef, Pot stickers, and salad for everyone with Sweet Frostings cupcakes for dessert!
Reilly and Hunter came back over for dinner. We had this table set up on one side of the deck and another table for them on the opposite side. We also had a buffet table set up with all of the food. It was so awesome! We had a beautiful night together as a family. We watched my videos and then we dug out Reilly's bins from the garage that held some of her "special" things. We were laughing so hard going through some of them. I was THRILLED that she decided to take them all home with her! Yay!
Mother's Day picture with kiddos...social distanced. Kam's quarantine hair is OUT OF CONTROL!
Hunter's birthday was the next day so we had a little celebration for him too:
He is a good sport and HAPPILY donned the infamous party hat!
All in all...what could've been a really sad and hard day turned out to be a fun and joyous one. I posted this on FB and Instagram:
Mother’s Day could have been especially hard this year but I saw that my mom’s spirit lives on so strong... and she was there...in laughing until I was crying talking with Kirk, Meki, and Tyler this morning, in the festiveness and overflowing love of her grandchildren, in the white hanging flower baskets she and I used to race each other to purchase that was gifted to me this year by her grandson, in the joy of simple pleasures like bike rides and glittering water and sailboats, in the teasing of her grandchildren, in the laughter that surrounded me all day, in the hugs and kisses of my family, in the words “I love you Mom”, and in the white hydrangeas that we floated on the lake last weekend in her honor. My mom lives on in the sparkle in Reilly’s eyes, in Kameron’s hugs, in Ailey’s thoughtfulness, and in Bryn’s laughter. She was there.
Day 59: 5-11-20 (Monday)
Today is Hunter's 25th Birthday. We got him a gift card for the Boot Barn. He wants some new cowboy boots. It's kind of fun to have a country boy in our mix. I got to go into a store that I never would have entered and inhale the dreamy and intoxicating smell of leather! It smelled so good even wearing a mask! I guess cowboy boots and clothes are essential. ;)
Mondays are always busy even in quarantine. So much is always going on with online school and Tyler's work. Today I worked on my business doing inventory. I have zero interest in doing this but my garage and storage unit are packed with items that need to be tagged and inventoried and SOLD.
When we went walking today we saw these signs posted all over at the park:
We always see huge groups of people hanging out, having picnics, and playing games. It annoys me. I'm glad they put the signs up.
New phases for WA State: We are still in Phase 1.
Tyler and Kam worked all evening fixing our front yard sprinklers and working on a damaged water line. It was quite the project. I stayed out of their way...they were NOT friendly!!
Day 60: 5-12-20 (Tuesday)
Have I mentioned what absolute hell it is dealing with my mother's estate? Ugh... today I had the joy of being on the phone with the bank for an hour and a half. Then I had the pleasure of dealing with unpleasant siblings for the rest of the day and on into the night. I am so OVER it!
Okay...focusing on the positive...
Tyler hung up my hummingbird feeder and I actually saw a hummingbird come to it today! Exciting! Nay...thrilling!!
We harvested our first batch of Rhubarb today. We have a giant rhubarb plant and we all love and adore rhubarb. I craved it when I was pregnant with Reilly and ate it raw cut up like celery sticks. It's so good! Ailey and Bryn helped me by dicing it up, measuring it out, and freezing it in ziploc bags. They are angels. I worked in the yard all evening and it is starting to look spectacular!!
Saturday, May 16, 2020
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